Samuel l



(No Model.)

S. L. MOTT.

RUNNING BOARD POR- FREIGHT CARS.

Patented Mar. 18, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL L. MO'IT, OF NEWVARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-Tl-IIRDS TO CHARLES B. CAMPBELL AND CHARLES C. CAMPBELL, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

RUNNING-BOARD FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,567, dated March 18, 1890.

Application filed January 27, 1890. Serial No. 338,231. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL L. MOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark,

in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Runnin g-Boards forFreight the same, reference being had to the accom-.

panying drawings, and to letters of reference markedthereon,which form a part ofthis specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in railway-cars for the conveyance of freight; and it consists in providing the running-boards on the roofs of such cars with a connectingboard or bridge secured to each end of said boardon the car, and which is adapted to be thrown over onto or to be connected with the next car when the train is made up, and whereby a continuous passage-way for the walking of the train-hands thereon is the result, thus avoiding the necessity of jumping from. the end of one car to theend of the next car, as heretofore. I

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, in

which similar letters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a train of cars provided with my improved running-boards. Fig. 2 is a plan View of. the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of part of a running-board provided with my improved connecting board or bridge, and showing a'different form of hinge for attaching the same from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 represents in plan the connecting board or bridge arranged in ways secured to the running-board to enableithe sliding of said board or bridge therein from the end of one car upon the running-board on the next car.

In the drawings, A represents the runningboard on the top of a freight-car, which is secured thereto in the usual manner. To one or to both ends of said board is pivotally secured by means of hinges b a small connecting board or bridge a, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Said boards or bridges or when not in use may be allowed to hang down the side of the car, as shown at a and a in Fig. 1, or the same can be thrown back upon its hinges, so that it will rest upon the running-board A,as shown at (1 in Fig. 2. i

When it becomes necessary to form a continuous passage-way for the train-hands from one car to the other, the boards or bridges a on the ends of one car are thrown over on the top of the next car, so that the end a of the bridge a rests and slides upon the running-board of the next car, as will clearly be seenfrom Fig. 1. It will be noticed from said figure that the car C is of less height than the car 0. Therefore,instead of using the connecting board or bridge attached to the lower car, said bridge on the end of the higher car is used, the board or bridge being chamfered on its free end to cause the same to slide freely upon the running-board of the next car.

Instead of employing thehinge 17, (illustrated in Fig. 1,) the board or bridge a may be provided on its opposite sides with pinsd, which are driven into the same and which project into eyebolts 01, secured in the ends of the running-boards 011 the roof of the car, as shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 4 is represented still another modification, in which the running-board A has arranged on its ends two ways e and e, of the ordinary construction, which are secured thereto in any well-known 1nanner,'and in which the board or bridge a freely slides, so that the same can be shoved from the running-board on the one car to that on the next car. This latter construction, however, can only be used where the cars are all of the same height, and the hinged orpivoted connecting board or bridge, which may be made of .wood or metal, is therefore the preferred construction, as the same is better adapted to cars of different heights, as has been stated in the above, and shown to the left of the drawing illustrated in Fig. 1. The advantage derived from this construction is evident.

\Vhen freight-cars are coupled together and the train has been made up, the distances between two cars vary from two to five feet.

Heretofore the train-1nen had to jump from.

one car to the other, which causes niuch annoyance, and is also dangerous to the life of those employed when the train is running at a great speed, or in the Winter when the cars are covered with ice. By my improvement this danger is avoided, for when the runningboards are connected by means of the connecting boards or bridges a continuous passage-Way along the entire length of the train is the result, and the train-men can pass from one car to the other without having to undertake long jumps and without danger of falling between two cars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- In combination with the roof of a car, the running-board having connecting-boards secured thereto by ineans of hinges, whereby I said boards may hang vertically from the running-board at the ends of the car, or they may be turned over to lie on the top of said running-board when not in use, said connectingboards being chamfered at their free ends, which ends, when the ears are coupled, rest upon the top 01": the running-board on the next cars and slide thereon, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 24th dayof January, 1890.

SAMUEL L. MOTT. IVitnesses:

CHAS. B. CAMPBELL, FBEDK. O. FRAENTZEL. 

